Embodiments of the device and method discussed herein relate to a system and method for manufacturing intracorporeal devices used to replace, strengthen, or bypass body channels or lumens of patients; in particular, those channels or lumens, such as the abdominal or thoracic aorta, that have been affected by conditions such as aneurysmal disease.
Existing methods of treating such aneurysms include invasive surgical methods with graft placement within the aorta as a reinforcing member of the artery. Although improvements in surgical and anesthetic techniques have reduced perioperative and postoperative morbidity and mortality, significant risks associated with surgical repair (including myocardial infarction and other complications related to coronary artery disease) still remain.
Due to the inherent hazards and complexities of such surgical procedures, various attempts have been made to develop alternative repair methods that involve the endovascular deployment of grafts within aortic aneurysms. One such method is the non-invasive technique of percutaneous delivery of grafts and stent-grafts by a catheter-based system. Such a method is described by Lawrence, Jr. et al. in “Percutaneous Endovascular Graft: Experimental Evaluation”, Radiology (1987). Lawrence et al. describe therein the use of a Gianturco stent as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,568 to Gianturco. The stent is used to position a Dacron® fabric graft within the vessel. The Dacron® graft is compressed within the catheter and then deployed within the vessel to be treated.
A similar procedure is described by Mirich et al. in “Percutaneously Placed Endovascular Grafts for Aortic Aneurysms: Feasibility Study,”Radiology (1989). Mirich et al. describe therein a self-expanding metallic structure covered by a nylon fabric, the structure being anchored by barbs at the proximal and distal ends.
An improvement to percutaneously delivered grafts and stent-grafts results from the use of materials such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) for a graft body. These and similar materials have clinically beneficial properties. However, endovascular grafts and other devices made from material such as PTFE and ePTFE can be susceptible to kinking due to, among other reasons, the flexibility and pliability of these materials. What is needed is an endovascular graft that provides the advantages of construction from these materials but that is resistant to kinking and other types of deformation that may be detrimental to graft performance.